The Vet
by Trn736
Summary: Chase gets hurt playing frisbee and has to go to the vet. Ryder and the other pups take care of him.
1. Chapter 1

**Trying something new. Why not? **

"Rocky! Over here!" Zuma bounded through the grass, his eyes on the plastic disc in his friend's mouth.

Rocky tossed the disc with as much force as he could.

"Got it!" Zuma planted his paws in triumph of the catch.

"Me next! Me next!" Skye jumped up and down waiting for the throw.

"Here it comes!" Zuma spun up in a circle and released the disc in her direction.

A sudden gust of wind propelled the disc high into the air above her.

"Still got it!" Skye yelled, hopping to intercept to the disc and landing after a flip.

"Still got it," She stated, smiling.

"Woah!" The group exclaimed in amazement.

"Great catch, Skye!" Zuma barked.

"Thanks!" She giggled.

"It would be a really nice day if the wind would stop gusting," Rocky observed.

As if on cue an even bigger gust of wind pushed over some glass bottles Rocky had sitting on his pup house, shattering them on the ground.

Everyone flinched in response to the sudden noise.

Rocky sighed, "Man! I set those out because I wanted to add them to my collection… They were pretty cool root beer bottles…"

"Don't worry, Rocky," Rubble assured, "I'm sure you'll find more of them."

Rocky nodded, "It's okay, everyone! I'll clean that up as soon as we're done with our game!"

"The wind does make it a perfect day to play frisbee, though!" Skye remarked, looking down the field for a target.

"Throw it here, Skye!" Marshall waved.

"Incoming!"

"I got it!" Marshall trotted backward with his eyes on the descending disc "I got -," he tripped over his rear legs and landed on his back, the disc coming to rest just beside him, "I don't got it…," he muttered before jumping up, "I'm okay!" He yelled at his friends.

Everyone laughed.

"Marshall!" Chase lowered his head, reading himself to run, "I'm open!"

The dalmatian chucked the disc with all his strength.

Chase blindly sprinted ahead of the disc, cocking his head back to watch it from behind.

Another sudden gust of wind pushed the disc off trajectory over the grass and onto the pavement near the watchtower.

"Almost… Got it…," Chase panted, eyes fixated on the disc – unaware of what was about to happen.

The other pups realized too late.

"Chase! Look out!"

"Wha…?" Chase snapped his eyes forward in time to see himself careening toward the side of Rocky's pup house. By the time he tried to stop he was already sliding over shards of broken glass and head-first into the side of the structure – everything went black.

"Chase!" The group gasped, running over to the still pup.

"Chase! Are you al-," Marshall cut himself off as he got closer to his friend, observing his condition. Blood steadily oozed from glass shards stuck in his paws and a cut on his head.

"He's bleeding!" Skye panicked.

"That looks really bad!" Zuma looked away.

Rocky gulped in fear.

"Chase…?" Marshall gently nudged his friend.

"Ugh…," Chase cracked his eyes open.

"Zuma, get my gear! Rocky, go get Ryder!" Marshall commanded.

Both pups quickly ran off.

"Chase?" Marshall asked again.

"Marshall…?" Chase squinted at the blurry figure standing over him.

"How many paws am I holding up?" Marshall held up his right paw.

"Th-Three…?" He hesitated, "Wait…"

"That's – That's not good, is it?" Skye looked at Marshall.

Marshall shook his head.

"I'm okay…," Chase tried to set up and yelped in pain as he put pressure on his paws.

"No!" Marshall eased him back down, "No, you're not okay. Try not to move, your paws are pretty torn up, Chase. They're bleeding."

"B-Blood?" Chase stammered, looking down at his maimed paws.

Realizing his injuries, the pain caught up with him.

"Marshall…," Chase whimpered in fear as the world started to darken around him.

"I'm here, Chase. Don't worry, buddy… Just stay awake for me, okay?"

Chase went limp.


	2. Chapter 2

_What is that thumping noise and why is it so loud?_

_Wait… Is that my heart?_

_Why can I hear my heart?_

_And that ringing… My ears are ringing…_

_It's so dark… Why can't I open my eyes…?_

_What is this?_

"Chase…"

_Who is that?_

"Chase… Can you hear me?"

Chase struggled to open his eyes, cracking them open.

A bright light flooded his sensitive sight.

"Ow…," Chase moaned.

"Chase!" Ryder exhaled in relief.

"Wh-Where…," Chase croaked, trying to focus on his surroundings. He could tell he was lying on his side and something cold was on his head.

"You're in the watchtower, dude!" Zuma responded.

Chase wasn't sure what happened, but he knew he was hurt.

He tried to lift his head, "Ow…," he flinched at the seemingly crushing pressure being applied to his head.

"Easy, Chase," Ryder shifted the ice pack he was lightly holding to the pup's head.

"Do I have to go to the d-doctor…?" Chase shivered in terror at the thought.

"I don't know, buddy," Ryder gave him a comforting pat, "You're pretty banged up. Marshall is going to have a look at you, okay?"

Chase gave a whine of approval.

"Can you tell me what hurts?"

"I… My head really hurts… And my paws feel like they're on fire…"

"Anything else?" Marshall doubled checked for anything other than the obvious.

"I don't think so…"

Marshall put his stethoscope on his friend's chest, "Can you take some deep breaths, for me?"

Chase wheezed in pain.

"I'm gonna shine a light in your eyes to check your head, okay?"

Chase nodded gingerly, pulling away as soon as the light was shone in his face.

"Wh-why is it so bright…?"

Marshall frowned.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"I… Not really…," he admitted.

"We were playing frisbee!" Skye recounted.

"I threw it to you," Marshall added.

"But it was really windy, and the disc blew off the grass near our houses," Rubble continued.

"You were so busy chasing it that you didn't see where you were going and you… Lost a headbutting match with Rocky's truck," Zuma glanced over at Rocky.

"Some bottles I had set out to keep blew over while we played and broke near my house…," Rocky spoke while he looked down at his paws, "I didn't clean it up right away and that's how you hurt your paws…"

The group could tell Rocky felt bad.

"It's not your fault, Rocky," Zuma assured.

Rocky looked away from Chase.

"What's the last thing you remember, Chase?" Marshall resumed.

"I remember… Going to the lake this morning…"

Marshall looked at him concerned.

"What…?" Chase's eyes drooped.

"We went to the lake two days ago, Chase," Zuma sounded worried.

"You must have hit your head a lot harder than we thought," Ryder also sounded worried.

"Do you feel dizzy?"

"Yeah…," he closed his eyes.

"How dizzy?"

"I think I might barf…" Chase could still feel his head spinning with his eye's closed.

"Can you let me know before you do so I can get out of the way?" Marshall nudged him in a lighthearted way, "I just had a bath yesterday."

"Okay…," he tried to smile.

"The cut on your head doesn't look too bad, I doubt it needs stitches…," Marshall proceeded to bandage his head, "Your paws, though… Can I look at your paws, Chase?"

He didn't respond.

"Chase?" Marshall started licking his face.

"Huh…?"

"You need to stay awake right now, Chase! You have a pretty bad concussion!"

"But… I'm sleepy…," he yawned.

"Rocky!"

The pup jumped at hearing his name, caught off guard.

"Can you keep Chase awake for me while I have a look at his paws?"

"Wh-why me? Wh-what do you want me to do?"

"Just talk to him, Rocky. Keep him awake."

Rocky walked over to Chase and laid down beside him.

"Hi, Chase," Rocky spoke softly as Marshall turned his attention back to the task at hand.

All four of the pup's paws were hastily wrapped in gauze, blood was beginning to soak through.

"Hi… Rocky," He winced as Marshall unwrapped the bandage around his right front paw, exposing a mangled mess of lacerations and glass shards.

"Yeouch!" Skye winced sympathetically.

Rocky cringed at the site.

"I'm sorry I left those bottles out… And that I didn't clean them up right away after they broke…"

"It's not your f-fault," Chase quivered as Marshall tried to clean his wound.

"It is my fault! If I just would have thrown those stupid bottles away, you wouldn't be in this bad of shape right now!" Rocky pounded his paw on the ground.

"Recycle…?"

The other pup rolled his eyes and smiled warmly at his silly friend, "You know what I meant."

Marshall started to remove some of the shards.

"Ow…," Chase whimpered, tears welling in his eyes.

"It's okay, Chase," Rocky soothed.

Marshall pulled a large chunk of glass out.

Chase yelped in agony, "Please!" He cried, "Please, stop!"

"Sorry!" Marshall jumped back in response to the sudden outburst.

Chase nuzzled into Rocky's neck, still crying.

"I – We," Marshall stepped back, still shaken, "We need to take him to the vet!" He looked up at Ryder, "He – He needs more help than I can give him."

"Get your truck ready, Marshall," Ryder said calmly, "I'll bandage that paw back up and bring him down."

Marshall quickly ran out of the room.

"D-Don't wanna go to the doctor…," Chase sniffled.

"You have to, Chase…," Ryder scratched the pup's side caringly, "They'll get you all fixed up."

"I'm scared of the vet…," He hiccupped.

"We'll all be right there beside you, Chase," Ryder wrapped his bloody paw, "I promise we won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Yeah!" The other pups replied in unison.

"But…," he protested, to no avail.

"You're the bravest pup I know!" Skye smiled.

The others nodded in agreement.

"I'm not brave… I'm scared…"

"Just because you're scared doesn't mean you aren't brave," Rocky explained.

"Being brave means doing something you have to even if you're really scared!" Zuma smiled.

"Ready!" Marshall barked into his pup tag.

"What do you say, Chase? Ryder gently picked him up in his blue blanket, "Are you brave enough to let the PAW patrol rescue you?"

"Chase…," Zuma began.

"… Is scared," he sighed weakly, "But he's on the case, anyway…"

"Yay!" They cheered.

"See! You're going to be just fine," Rocky stood up.

"We'll have you home before the new episode of Apollo tonight!" Rubble followed the others outside.

"Ryder…," Chase looked up at him, shaking apprehensively as the two stepped into the ambulance.

"Just try to relax… That's an order."

"Yes, sir… Ryder, sir…," Chase nestled his head into the boy's chest.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few hours were a blur.

Chase remembered being carried.

He remembered a cold metal table and bright white lights.

He remembered feeling very, very sleepy.

He feels a warm hand stroking his fur.

"Ugh…," Chase groaned.

"He's waking up!" Marshall's tail wagged excitedly.

The pup slowly opened his eyes to the group surrounding him.

"How do you feel?" Ryder asked.

He tried to move his head off the pillow of the doggy bed he was on but was far too weak. Confused, he shifted his eyes to his surroundings: the wires running from him to machines and a tube to a bag of liquid hanging near him.

"The medicine they gave him is still wearing off, he's still pretty out of it," Marshall observed, "Just give him a few minutes."

"Do you know where we are?" Zuma asked.

Chase looked at him expectantly.

"We're at the vet," he finished.

Chase knew that much, and despite the circumstance, he felt unusually calm. The searing pain in his paws had dulled and the throbbing of his head somewhat subsided – replaced by an uneasy, twisting feeling in his stomach.

"Earth to Chase! Are you with us yet?" Rocky chuckled.

"How do you feel?" Ryder asked again.

"Sick…," Chase managed to respond before throwing up all over the floor next to him.

"Ew!" Skye and the others recoiled in disgust.

"S-Sorry…," he whimpered.

"It's okay, Chase," Ryder grabbed a nearby towel, "Don't worry about it."

"Cut him some slack, guys…," Marshall reasoned with the others who were now across the room from their injured friend, "Strong medicine can do that."

He looked at Chase, "Do you want some water?"

Chase nodded gingerly.

Marshall nudged a bowl over to his bed, Chase lapped at it a few times.

"Thanks…"

"So… Besides your tummy ache…," Ryder finished cleaning the mess, "How do you feel?"

"A – A little better than before, I think…," Chase looked down at his thickly bandaged paws.

"They gave you medicine to make you sleepy when we got here," Marshall explained, "You were shaking pretty bad and the doctor didn't want to hurt you anymore cleaning up your paws… The cuts were pretty bad, a lot of them needed stitches."

Chase whined.

"She also took a look at your head and said you should be fine after a few days," he continued.

"She said you just need plenty of rest and to stay off your paws for about a week or so while they heal," Zuma added.

"Stay off my paws…," Chase repeated apprehensively, "All of them…?"

Skye laughed, "Don't worry, Chase. We'll take good care of you!"

"Right!" Marshall agreed.

"When – When can I go home…?" Chase looked as his friend.

"Well…," the dalmation nervously averted his eyes.

"Chase…," Ryder looked at the drained pup, "The doctor wants to watch you to make sure the swelling around that bump on your head goes down and to finish giving you these antibiotics to make sure those cuts don't get infected," he pointed at the IV bag.

"Lots of germs in the garbage…," Rocky mumbled, feeling even worse than before.

"It's already pretty late in the day…," Ryder continued to sensitively explain, "She thinks it would be best if you stay here overnight so they can make sure you're okay…"

"Over…Night…?" Chase gulped anxiously.

"You're – You're staying here with me, right?" He looked up at the boy with terror in his eyes.

"We can't, Chase…," Marshall lowered his head.

"We already asked, and they won't let us…," Rubble looked at the ground.

"You're leaving me here alone?!" The shepherd panicked. "Please, Ryder!" He begged, on the verge of tears, "I can't stay here alone!"

"You remember that talk about bravery we had earlier?" Ryder scratched behind the pup's ear.

"I don't wanna be brave!" He cried, "I just wanna go home!"

"You're a police pup, Chase," Rocky tried to calm him, "You've done way scarier things than spend the night at the vet…"

"But… I always have you guys to make those things less scary…"

"We brought some things to make you feel better…," Ryder tucked the pup's blue sheriff blanket around him.

Marshall walked up and dropped a stuffed animal next to him.

"Officer Bear…?" Chase looked up at his friend, "Where…?"

"I know where you keep him in your pup house," Marshall grinned. "And I know he makes you feel safe," he whispered.

Chase rested his head on the stuffed toy, calming slightly.

"We'll stay here with you as long as they'll let us," Zuma comforted.

"Then you'll leave…," the pup focused on the pulsing pain returning to his head, "My head hurts again…"

"Keep him company, pups. I'll see if I can get an ice pack," Ryder left the room.

Soon enough if it was time to leave their injured companion.

Everyone said their goodbyes and gave their goodbye hugs.

"Please…," Chase sniffled into Ryder's neck, "Please don't leave me here alone…"

"You won't be alone…," the boy hugged him tight.

Chase looked at him inquisitively through his tears.

"Your pup tag!" He whispered, "If you're feeling scared, we're all just a call away… You can do this, Chase… We'll be back first thing in the morning, I promise."

The thought was hardly comforting to the distraught pup who soon found himself shivering in pain and fear in a cold metal cage in a strange dark room.

Cries and whimpers of other animals pierced the silence.

Chase crawled to the corner of the cage and wriggled under his blanket, snuggling up to Officer Bear for what seemed like an eternity before he couldn't take it any longer. He barked into his pup tag with every intention of begging Ryder and the others to come and rescue him from this nightmare.

"Chase?" Ryder answered, his voice comforting to the injured pup.

"Hi, Chase!" He heard everyone else yell through the microphone.

"Wh-What are you all doing…?" Chase quivered, surprised to hear the whole gang.

"We were just getting ready to call you and say goodnight and to tell you to get plenty of sleep for tomorrow!" Ryder responded.

"Why…?"

"We're gonna have a party when you come home!" Marshall yelled.

"We're going to play games!" Zuma began.

"And watch cartoons!" Rocky added.

"And eat a bunch of treats!" Rubble laughed.

"And have a sleepover in the lookout tower!" Skye finished.

Chase couldn't help but crack a small smile in response to the enthusiasm of his caring friends.

"How are you doing?" Ryder asked.

"Better… Now that I talked to you guys…," his tail slowly wagged, "I… I just wanted to tell everyone goodnight…"

"Goodnight, Chase! We love you!"

"I love you guys too…," his voice trailed off as he exhaled in relief and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_"This is the one!"_

_Chase was jarred awake from his light sleep by the sudden noise._

_The door to his cage was slammed open, two men in surgical dress stood before him._

_"What…?"_

_One man violently grabbed him by the scruff of the neck._

_"Ouch! You're hurting me!" Chase whined._

_The man yanked him from the cage with such force it ripped the needle from his foreleg and severed the wiring to the nearby machine._

_He cried out in pain._

_"What… What are you doing?!" The pup struggled in the man's grip, too weak to fight back._

_"Help!" He yelled to no avail, "Help me!"_

_"Be quiet you stupid mutt!" The other man raised his hand to Chase._

_Nothingness._

_A familiar bright white light flooded his vision; a familiar cold metal table shocked his senses._

_He tried to move as the world slowly focused around him._

_No use._

_Thick leather straps held his back to the table with crushing pressure._

_He turned his head to one of the men._

"W-Why are you doing this…?" His voice shook as tears streamed from his face.

_Silence._

_His eyes were drawn to the tray nearby: knives, scissors, saws._

_Suddenly, he knew what was about to happen._

_"Ahh! No! Please!" The pup screamed hysterically, struggling with all of his might to free himself from the straps, "Ryder?! Marshall?! Rocky?! Skye?! Zuma?! Anyone?! Help me! Please!"_

_"No one's coming for you…," the man laughed sadistically, centering the knife over the pup._

_"Please!" Chase begged, feeling the ice-cold, razor-sharp scalpel being lowered onto his soft underbelly._

_"No!"_

* * *

"Ahh!"

Chase's eyes popped open as he gasped for breath.

His eyes darted from side to side, heart thumping out of his chest.

The wail of an alarm pierced the veil of the dark room.

His lungs were on fire, he couldn't breathe.

A light flipped on.

He could see the white room and the cage, his blanket and Officer Bear thrashed to the side.

A woman in surgical dress quickly approached his cage, "What's going on?!"

"Stay away from me!" He gasped, slamming himself against the far back corner of the cage – shaking uncontrollably.

She studied the terrified pup for a moment and knew exactly what was going on.

"Chase…," She began in a slow, calming voice, "It's okay… I'm not going to hurt you…"

He coughed.

"Whatever you think happened – It was just a nightmare… None of it was real… It's okay…"

He felt lightheaded.

She looked him directly in the eyes, "I need you to breathe, Chase… Nice. Calm. Easy. Long. Breaths… Just breathe…," she inhaled and exhaled deeply.

Chase wheezed, feeling the pressure beginning to lift from his chest.

"That's a good boy…," she soothed.

_Just a dream… Just a dream… _Chase told himself, breathing deeper. _Just a dream… None of it was real… Just a dream…_

"That's it…," she watched a monitor as his heart rate and blood pressure slowly returned to a normal range.

"Let me tuck you back in with your blank-," her sudden hand movement to the front of the cage caused Chase to jump.

"Sorry!" she slowly lowered her hand and smiled warmly at him, "I'll just leave you be…"

She backed out of the room and shut off the lights.

Chase wasn't sure what time it was, but he knew one thing for certain: there was no way he was getting any sleep now.

He rested his head on his piled-up blanket and anxiously waited for morning – nightmare replaying in his head.


	5. Chapter 5

After a seemingly eternal darkness, soft light began to illuminate the room.

Chase shifted his eyes to the barely-visible clock hung above the door and sighed: _6:15_.

He yawned sleepily.

His head throbbed, his paws were sore, and his stomach hurt.

He was exhausted.

Chase buried his head in his blanket, shielding his sensitive eyes from the early-morning light.

"Please come soon, Ryder…"

* * *

"This is the one, right?" A man's voice startled the dozing pup.

His blood ran cold.

Was he dreaming? Was this another nightmare?

He could hear the door to his cage being opened.

Chase tensed with anticipation of being grabbed.

A light touch caused him to jump out from underneath his blanket, shaking at the back of the cage.

"Hey! There you are!" The man laughed, "I knew there was a pup in here but all I could see was a blanket! I bet you're really good at hide and seek, Chase… And that's no easy feat for a German Shepherd!"

Chase stared apprehensively at the man, he looked just like the doctor from his dream but didn't seem mean.

"It looks like you had a pretty rough night…," he began, "I know being in a place like this is scary, but I promise I won't do anything to hurt you."

Chased relaxed a bit, this wasn't his nightmare.

"What say we get you cleaned up and checked out, so you're good to go home when Ryder gets here?"

The pup's tail began to wag.

He nodded.

Four new bandages, two disgusting medicines, and one checkup later he was being carried out into the lobby area.

"Chase!" Ryder happily called.

"Ryder!" He exclaimed as the nurse handed him to the boy, "I thought you would never come…"

They hugged tightly.

"We're getting out of here as soon as I sign these papers, Chase. I promise…"

The pup cuddled into his chest; he finally felt safe.

"Ready to go home, Chase?"

"…"

"Chase?"

He was fast asleep.

* * *

_"Chase… Hey, Chase…"_

_"Maybe we should just let him sleep…"_

_"He's been sleeping all day!"_

_"Ryder said it looked like he didn't sleep at all last night…"_

_"Well he said to wake them up… He can sleep after dinner."_

_"Yeah… I guess."_

"Wake up, sleepyhead…" Rocky gently nudged the shepherd, "Sleepyheads," he corrected.

"Hmm…?" Chase yawned, looking at up his friends from the cozy nest on his bed in the lookout tower, "Hi, guys…"

"Hi, Chase!" They greeted in unison.

"We really wanted to talk you earlier, but you looked really tired; so, we just let you sleep," Skye reported.

"What time is it…?" Chase yawned again.

"Dinner time!" Rubble enthusiastically yelled.

His stomach churned at the thought of food.

"I slept all day…?"

"You sure did!" Zuma smiled, "How are you feeling?"

"Not great… And still pretty tired…"

"You still don't look too good…," Rocky studied the other pup, "Marshall is going to keep a good eye on you and make sure you get better."

"Speaking of Marshall…," Chase noticed his absence from the group, "Where is he?"

"On top of you," Zuma chuckled.

"Huh…?" Chase tried to move and realized he was pinned under half a Dalmatian, he couldn't help but laugh, "Man… He's a heavy sleeper."

"I got this," Rocky stomped on a nearby squeaky toy.

"I'm up!" Marshall shot into a sitting position, "I'm up…," he yawned.

"Sorry about that, Chase…," he rubbed his eyes, "Ryder told us the nurse said you had a pretty bad night… I thought it might make you feel better if you had some company close by."

"'Close by'," Rocky repeated, "Not on top of!"

Marshall chuckled and rolled his eyes, "Same difference!"

Chase laid his head on his friend's paw, "Thanks, Marshall… It helped."

"Anytime, Chase," he licked his face.

"I got some bad news, though," he turned to the pup with a serious tone.

Chase tilted his head with intrigue and worry.

"That party we told you about last night is postponed until further notice… Ryder said you just need to take it easy for the next few days…,"

"That's all?" Chase sighed in relief, "I'm way to tired to be disappointed by that…"

"The good news is, now that you're up, it's dinner time!" Rubble scurried out of the room, "I'll go tell Ryder!"

A short time later Ryder brought in bowls of food.

Everyone began to chow down.

Chase looked down at the intimidatingly large mound of mash in his bowl – he could smell liver.

_Yuck!_

"What's wrong, Chase?" Rocky lifted his head from the bowl beside him to see the other's untouched food.

"I'm… I'm just not too hungry… My tummy hurts…"

"Your tummy probably hurts because you're hungry!" Rubble spoke while munching his food.

"Rubble's right, Chase," Zuma agreed, "Your stomach would probably feel better if you ate something."

"When was the last time you had something to eat anyway?" Skye asked.

"Well…," Chase's memory of the last few days was still pretty fuzzy.

"We know he hasn't had anything today," Rocky began.

"Or yesterday," Zuma added.

"And I'm pretty sure he skipped dinner the night before," Skye concluded.

"I can't make it half a day without food, let alone almost three!" Rubble laughed.

"Three days?!" Marshall almost spit out his food in alarm, "You haven't eaten in three days?!"

"Well… I…," Chase stammered.

"You have to eat something right now!" Marshall demanded.

"But… My stomach hurts…"

"I don't care! If you don't eat something soon, you're going to end back up at the vet!"

Chase lowered his ears and whimpered.

"Take it easy, Marshall…," Rocky calmed, "You're yelling at him."

Marshall exhaled deeply, "I'm sorry, Chase… You just really need to eat something."

"I know…"

"It's okay, Chase," Zuma placed a paw on his back, "Do you want something else to eat, maybe? What sounds good?"

Chase looked back at his bowl, "Anything but liver…"

"Should have known…," Marshall whispered to himself, "I'll go ask Ryder if he can make you something else."

A few minutes later Marshall and Ryder walked back in with a steaming bowl of food.

"Special order for Officer Chase!" Ryder smiled and sat the bowl in front of the pup.

Shredded chicken, rice, peas, and carrots.

"Wow!" Rubble drooled, "That looks amazing!"

"The doctor said I might have a hard time getting you to eat… So, I made you something special earlier."

Chase stared into the new bowl, the aroma inviting.

He nibbled at the top.

_Not bad…_

He took a bigger bite.

_Pretty good…_

"You don't have eat the whole thing… Just take a few bites and we can save –."

Chase began to devour the food.

"Or you can eat the whole thing!" Ryder and the others laughed.

He licked every last speck from the bowl.

"How do you feel now?" Rocky looked at his friend.

He burped.

"I think that means good!" Marshall chuckled.

"A little better…," Chase yawned contently, stomach full.

The yawn was contagious.

"I'll leave you pups to get ready for bed," Ryder collected all the bowls and left the room."

The others pushed their beds close to Chase's.

"What are you guys doing?"

"The party may have been cancelled but the sleepover is still on!" Marshall pushed his bed right up against the shepherd's.

"Isn't it still pretty early for you guys to go to bed?" Chase questioned as the others settled in.

"You weren't the only one who didn't sleep very well last night…," Rocky stretched.

"We were worried about you…," Skye closed her eyes.

"Being all alone there all night must have been pretty scary…," Zuma's mumbling could barely be heard over Rubble's snoring.

"Not alone tonight…," Marshall rested his head on Chase's neck.

"You guys are the best…"


	6. Chapter 6

_"Over here, Zuma!" _

The distant sound of Marshall's voice eased Chase from his restful sleep.

"Marshall…?" He stretched and yawned.

"Good morning, Chase!" Ryder greeted cheerfully.

"'Morning…," Chase responded sleepily, observing the empty room, "Where's everyone at?"

"The other pups woke up a while ago, they're outside playing. You were sleeping so soundly they didn't want to wake you up."

"Oh…"

"How are you feeling?"

"A little better… My headache isn't quite as bad."

"Glad to hear it!" Ryder smiled, "It probably has something to do with that mountain of food you inhaled last night!"

"Heh," Chase looked away in embarrassment, "I did kinda scarf it down like a wild animal… Sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry, Chase; I was only kidding!" Ryder laughed, "A pup's gotta eat!"

Chase laughed along.

"Speaking of which… Do you want some breakfast?"

"I think I'm good for another three days after last night…"

"Somehow, I don't think that's gonna fly with Marshall, Chase… He about choked on his food when he heard that."

"Till lunch, then…?"

"I think that's a fair compromise," Ryder scratched behind the pup's ear.

_"Alright! Go Rocky!"_

Playful yelling filled the momentary silence.

"Ryder…," The pup looked up at the boy, "Can I go outside and play too…? I promise I'll be careful!"

"Chase…," Ryder frowned, "You know I can't let you do that… The doctor said you need to keep off your paws for at least a week while those cuts heal. On top of that, it could be really serious if you hurt your head again right now."

"Right…," Chase sadly laid his head back down on his bed.

"Don't' worry, Chase. I'm sure the other will be -," He was interrupted by a commotion.

The group was led back into the watchtower by a limping Rocky, shifting weight off his right front paw.

"What happened?!" Ryder hurried over to the other pup.

Rocky whimpered.

Chase lifted his head in concern.

"We were playing ball and he tripped over a toy Zuma left out in the field!" Rubble reported.

Zuma hung his head in shame.

Ryder gently picked him up and sat him on the pup bed next to Chase's.

"Go get your gear and check him out, Marshall," Ryder ordered.

"On it!" The Dalmatian ran off.

"That was a pretty bad fall, Rocky…," Skye began, "I hope it's not broken!"

The other pup sniffled; Chase could tell he was in pain.

"Let me see it, Rocky," Marshall returned with his gear.

Rocky held out his swollen paw.

"Hmm… That looks pretty bad…"

Rocky gulped in anticipation of the 'V' word.

"But… The good news is that it isn't broken."

Rocky exhaled in relief.

"The bad news is that it's a pretty bad sprain… You'll have to stay off it for a least a few days while that swelling goes down."

Marshall wrapped his paw.

"Ouch!" Rocky yelped, "Not so tight!"

"Sorry!" Marshall loosened the bandage a little.

Rocky gingerly lowered his paw to the ground, lifting it immediately as a result of the pressure.

"Relax for a bit and keep this on it," Ryder placed an ice pack down, "It'll help with the swelling and pain… Looks like you and Chase are going to be keeping each other company for a few days."

"B-But what if someone needs rescued?! We're already down Chase and now me!"

"Everything will be fine, Rocky," Ryder assured, "We've made do with more than two pups out of action before… It's been pretty slowly lately but if something does come up the PAW Patrol is always ready to handle any situation," he turned to the others, "Isn't that right gang?!"

"You got it, Ryder!" The others responded with enthusiasm.

"You two just focus on healing up so you can get back in the action."

After a brief silence Zuma finally found the courage to approach his friend.

"You okay, Rocky?"

He nodded, "I think I'll be okay..."

"I'm sorry I left my toys out…"

Rocky could see the guilt on his face.

"It's okay, Zuma. I know it was accident…," Rocky tried to smile, "I forgive you."

"Thanks, Rocky," He gave him a big hug, "Let me know if there's anything I can do to make you feel better."

"Well… There is one thing…," Rocky mused.

The Lab looked at him intently.

"You could go win that ball game for our team! The score is tied after all…"

"Tied even though your team had one extra pup!" Skye interjected, "Rubble and I would be ahead by at least ten points in a fair 2v2!"

"Yeah!" Rubble agreed.

"It's 2v2 now…," Rocky noted.

"Please!" Zuma dismissed, "Rocky, Marshall, and I were going easy on you… We'd be ahead by at least 20 points if we were playing to win!"

"You think so?!" Skye confronted him.

"I know so!" Zuma declared.

"Wanna bet?!" Rubble stepped in.

"Right here, right now!" Marshall retorted.

"Alright, you're on!" Skye and Rubble yelled in unison.

"Let's do this!" Zuma and Marshall countered.

The zealous pups sprinted from the room.

"Guys…," Ryder quickly followed the rambunctious group, "Let's not get carried away…"

Chase and Rocky looked at each other curiously as if they were totally forgotten.

"What was that?" Chase wondered aloud.

Rocky shrugged, "Competitive spirit…?"

They both laughed listening to the racket move outside.

"Man… I wish I could go outside and play…" Chase stared at the door.

Rocky sighed and laid his head down, "This is what I get…"

"Huh?" Chase turned to him.

"I deserved this…"

"What do you mean?"

Rocky looked at his bandaged paw, "I mean I deserved to get hurt like this after my carelessness hurt you…"

"Your carelessness…?" Chase was confused, "It's not your fault I wasn't watching where I was running…"

"But it was my fault I didn't clean up that broken glass right away…," Rocky looked away from Chase, "Because of that you had to spend the night at the vet and can't even walk for like a week or more!"

Chase thought for a moment, "Rocky, are you mad at Zuma for leaving that toy you tripped over out?"

"Of course not!" He shifted the ice pack on his paw.

"Why not?"

"Well… I know he didn't mean for it to hurt me when he left it there… It was an accident…"

"And…?" Chase prompted.

"And… I really wasn't watching where I was going either…," He nervously laughed.

Chase chuckled, "I know what happened was _mainly_ my fault… And I know that the other part was an accident… I forgive you."

"I…," Rocky smiled as if the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders, "Thanks, dude…"

Rocky shifted the ice pack again, "Is it just me or is it c-cold in here?"

Chase could see him shivering.

"Ryder does have the air conditioner on," He looked at the nearby vent blowing cold air in their direction, "It is a bit chilly in here… I think you're a little extra cold right now, though…," Chase scooted closer to him.

"You don't have to -," Rocky couldn't finish his sentence before Chase draped part of his blanket over him.

"There! It's big enough to share… Is that any better?"

Rocky snuggled into the warmth, "Yeah… Thanks."

"Anytime."

"So…," Rocky began, "What do we plan on doing to not die from boredom for the next few days?"

"Well… We could -," Chase was cut off.

"I told you!" Zuma led the group back inside with a hop in his step.

"Lucky break…," Rubble dismissed the gloating pup.

"Luck?" Marshall grinned, "That was _all_ skill!"

Skye rolled her eyes, "And that part where you tripped over your own paws and let Rubble score?"

"Well… I….," Marshall stammered.

"_All_ skill," Skye mocked.

Everyone laughed but Marshall.

"I take it you won?" Rocky looked at Zuma.

"We sure did!" He announced victoriously, "It was a close game, though… We only won by one point!"

"Cool! Good job!" Chase congratulated.

"It was a pretty good game…," Skye admitted.

"Definitely!" Rubble agreed.

"I know just the thing to celebrate…," Marshall headed off to another room and teased, "Winners _and _losers!"

He returned a few minutes later.

"Puppy pops!" Rubble announced excitedly.

Marshall dropped the box in the center of the room and distributed them, "Chase and Rocky too, if you want one?"

Both Chase and Rocky nodded their heads.

"I thought you were cold?" Chase looked a Rocky quizzically.

"I'm never too cold for ice cream!" Rocky slurped on his treat.

Everyone laughed.

_Maybe this won't be so bad after all._


End file.
